Power plant



POWER PLANT Filed May 27, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Nm. s.

March 29, 1938. R. E. LAsLl-Y 2,112,672

POWER PLANT Filed May 27, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet .2

19. E'. Laqzeiy.

01/ l "v 'ff v l l 4 Y v MarchA 29, 1938.

R. E. LASLEY POWER PLANT Filed May 27, 1935 4 SheetsvSheeiI 3 March 29, 1938. R. E. I AsLEY POWER PLANT Filed May 27, 1935 4 Sheets-Sheet `4 E. LaS/cry- UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,112,672 POWER PLANT Robert E. Lasley, Waukegan, Ill. Application May 27, 1935, serial No. 23,775 s Claims. (cl. fio-41)' This invention relates to an improved power plant of the gas turbine typ and more particularly relates to a power Vplant which is somewhat similar in construction to that disclosed in my Patent No. 2,056,198, issued October 6, 1936.

One object of the invention is the prducton of a power plant of the gas turbine type wherein feeding of air and fuel to a combustion chamberA or cylinderfmay be accurately controlled in metered relation to each .other and so' delivered into a combustion chamber that ,powerful force will be exerted and a scavenging operation ytake place which will cause the combustion chamber to be cleared of burnt gases.

Another object of the invention is to so form the combustion chambers that While burnt gases will pass out of the cylinders or combustion cham- Y bers, the gases will, by expansion, first compress a qia'ntity of substantially pure air into a container from which a portion will pass to mix with fuel vapors andform a very rich fuel mixture.

Another object of the invention is to permit flow of fuel vapors from a carburetor or other source of supply to be controlled in accordance with the pressure of air moving toward the combustion chamber and thereby allow discharge of the fuel vapors to be regulated in accordance with the speed 'of the' air flow which is governed by the speed at which the power'plant is operating. Another object of the invention is to provide improved means f or controlling flow of burnt gases from the combustion chambers so thatV pressure within ,the Icombustion chambers 'will be regulated andthe speed at which the gases pass from the combustion chambers controlled, and to further permit-air to be carried into exhaust conduits with the gases in such a manner that'the gases may beA cooled very effectively and operate a turbine forming-the power plant without the turbine being injuriously affected by excessive heat.

Another object'of the invention is to provide a power plant wherein the combustion chambers may 'be arranged in sets and the combustion chambers of Vone set put in operation prior to the combustion chambers of the other set when starting the power plant. c

This invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein l Figure 1 is a view showing the improved power plant partially in section and partially in eleva.- tion.

.Figure 2 is atransversesectional view taken substantially along the line 2-' 2 of Figure 1 and illustrating the grouping of the cylinders.

Figure 3 is an enlarged 'sectional view taken longitudinally through one of the cylinders and illustrating the manner in which .air is delivered to a container shown in elevation.

Figure 4 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional 5 view taken through a. partition in the combustion chamber along the line 4- 4 of Figure 3. Figure 5 is a sectional view taken transversely through the nozzle or divider carried by the outlet of the cylinder, the View being taken along the 10 line 5-5 of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is an enlarged sectional view taken through a mechanism for carburation and controlling of fuel supply. Y

Figure 7 is a section taken longitudinally 15 through a modified form ofcylinder.

Figure 8 is a sectional view taken through the distributor. l

'Ihis improved power plant is provided with a plurality of cylinders i and 2 which. are ar- 20 ranged in groups, as shown in FigureZ, and by referring to this figure it -will beseen that there are a like number of cylinders in each group.

., When air from the compression chamber is stored in a reservoir, as shownin Figures 1 and 25 3, the power plant will preferably .be provided with eight cylinders or combustion chambers, as shown in Figure 2, in which case there will be four cylinders in each group, butjt is to be under-1^ stood that any number of cylinders may be used 30 providing the number can be divided into groups. For convenience, the cylinders 2 will be referred to as the starting cylinders. The cylinders' which dene the combustion chambers rst have air fed into` them, then a. 35 charge of rich fuel mixture which intermingles with the air and forms a combustible mixture which will be immediately exploded to create a. working force. Air which is delivered to the starting cylinders is received from a lstarting fan 40 or blower 3 which may be operated by an elecwith the neck 6 of a housing or casing 1. This casingisformed with an internal annular wall 8 45 dening chambers 9 and I0 in the casing 1 and in order to control communication betweenl the A chambers 9 and I0, there has been provided a valve I I having a stem l2 which is sliiable-longltudinally through a bearing I3-so that the valve 50 may have movement in the chamber 9 from the position shown-in Figure 1 whereit seats against the marginal edge of the partition Ito shut ofi communication between the two chambers to a Vretracted podtion in which it will seat against,

the valve seat I4 at the inner end of the neck 6 and shut oil! communication between the neck 6 and the housing 9 while establishing communication between the chamber 9 and the chamber I0. At its outer end the stem I2 carries a contact I5 which engages a contact I6 when the valve is l seated against the wall 9. These contacts which form a switch will be included in the circuit of the motor which drives the starting blower or compressor 3 and it will be readily understood that while the motor will operate when the valv is in the position shown in Figure 1, the contact I 5 will be moved away from the contact I6 to open the circuit of the motor and stop operation of the starting blower when the valve moves into position to engage the seat I4 and shut oif flow of air from the starting blower into the chamber 9.

' has an enlarged outer end portion I9 which is secured in end to end engagement with the enlarged end' portion 20 of an inlet neck 2I by a coupling ring 22. Therefore, each outlet neck or pipe of the casing 1 will be connected with the inlet neck 2I of 'a companion cylinder. By providing the enlarged end portions I9 and 20, a housing or chamber will be formed to receive a check valve 23 which is very firmly secured and held in place when the collar 22 is tightened. The valves just referred to open toward the cylinders and serve to permit air to be forced .into the cylinders while preventing the force of an explosion from working back into the casing 1.

At the rear end of the casing 1 is disposed a fuel distributor casing or housing 24 which is secured to the casing 1 by bolts, and by referring to Figure 1 it will be seen that the bolts not only serve to mount the distributor casing 'but also as fasteners for a head 25 closing the inner end of the casing 24 and separating this casing from a chamber 26 formed in the rear end portion of the chamber 1 by a partition 21 which may be secured to an annular flange 28 'carried by the head 25. A timer 29 is carried by the rear end of the distributor housing or casing 24 and is formed with the proper number of terminals for engagement by conductor wires 30, each of which leads to the spark plug 3| of the companion cylinder. The shaft 32 of the timer extends into the distributor casing where it is rotatably mounted and passes centrally through the well 33 at the inner end of an inlet 34 -through which a fuel mixture passes from a pipe 35. The rear portion of the distributor casing is separated from the forward portion thereof by a wall36 through which the well extends and about the project-ing rear end portion of which well fits the hub 31 of a distributor nozzle 38 which has its open outer end bearing against the annular wall of the rear portion of the casing so that as the nozzle 38 turns with the shaft 33 it may successively move' into position to register with outlets formed about the periphery of the distributor casing. It will thus be seen that charges of fuel will be successively delivered into pipes or tubes 39 leading from the fuel distributor to the cylinders Where they are connected ywith the inlet necks 40- of the cylinders. A check valve 4I is -mounted 'in each of the necks 40 and, as the check valves open toward the cylinders, fuel under pressure may be forced into the cylindersIV but the force Aof an explosion in a cylinder cannot reachthe fuel tube.

A perforated disc 42 is set in place between meetthe inner end of the neck may extend through the partition axially of the cylinder. This nozzle extends for a majoryportion of the length of the rear compartment 41 of the combustion chamber defined by the cylinder and is tapered toward its inner end, perforations being formed in the nozzle between the partition and the free inner end of the nozzle so that the rich fuel mixture will be successively distributed in the compartment 41 and thoroughly mixed with the air in the compartment and form a highly combustible mixture whlchis immediately exploded by the spark plug 3I. There has also been provided a hot point 49 which projects from the wall of the cylinder near the spark plug to assist in exploding the combustible mixture. g

'Ihe forward section 49 of the cylinder is formed separate from the rear section 44 and united to the same by a clamping ring or collar 50 which also forms a tight seal about margins of a partition 5I. This partition is in the form of a metal disc having perforations 52 formed therein which are disposed about an unper'forated central portion of the disc, and referringto Figure 4 it will'. be seen that the perforations or passages 52 extend diagonally through the partition at an angle of substantially substantially radial of the cylinder and will cause products of combustion which pass through these partitions to have a whirling motion imparted to them and directed toward the walls of the forward compartment 53 of the combustion chamber. The burnt gases after striking the walls of the cylinder in the front compartment are deflected thereby and drawn inwardly by a vacuum condition at the center of the compartment so that they converge forwardly and then diverge toward the forward end of the cylinder where they strike the head 54 secured 'to the front end of the cylinder section 49 by a clamping ring or collar 55. 'I'he products of combustion follow the head 54 toward its center and then have a tendency to return to the rear end of the front compartment.

ter of the chamber next to the partition plate. Actually, the pressure is decreased very little. As the hot products ofl combustion rush forward, air having a certain amount of products of combustion mixed therewith rushes back and to the center at a velocity corresponding to the drop in pressure at the rear end of the section and the increase in pressure in the front end of the section. The rearwardly moving air passes into the flared mouth 59 at the upper end of a nozzle or tube 51 which has its lower end secured in a coupling 58 carried by the wall of the cylinder. The high velocity of this air is equal the difference in pressure at the two ends of the sections, and, of course, the total pressure in the chamber isv raised in proportion to the additional gas that is forced into the section above the amountldischarged through a tube |01 in the period' of explosion. Furthermore, it would not This action sets up;y or tendsV to set up, a low pressure area in the cenbe detrimental to the air or gases entering the the products of combustion as it is to be used v tion chamber.

for blowing the charge of fuel into the combus- In such event, it would be on a parallel with the use of steam for blowing fuel oil into furnaces. The coupling 58- extends through the Walls of the cylinder and at its outer end communicates with a pipe 59 leading to the inlet neck 68 of a pressure tank 6| which is supported by hangers 62. A check valve 63 mounted in the inlet neck.69 and opening inwardly of the tank 6|, permits the hot air to be forced into the tank but prevents return movement of the air from the tank into the cylinder.

A pipe 64 leads from the tank 68 and extends rearwardly of the power plant with its rear end engaged in a coupling 65 formed with a side arm or branch in which is secured a pipe 66 leading from the pipe 4. A check valve 61, which is mounted to open into the coupling 65, is provided at the inner end of the side arm of the coupling and, therefore, when the power plant is first started, air may enter the coupling from the branch pipe 66, but when operation of the power plant causes air from the 'tank 6| to pass through the pipe 64 into the coupling 65, the valve 62 will be held closed and shut off communication between the coupling and the pipe 66. From the coupling 65, the air passes through a pipe section 68 into the elbow 69 of a vertically disposed casing 10, the upper end of which communicates with the lower end of the pipe or tube 35. .A tube 1| which leads from a carburetor is connected with a depending neck or'hollow arm 12 at the bottom of the casing 10 and from th'e inner end of this neck extends a nozzle 13 having its upper end enlarged to form a discharge mouth 14 which is disposed-above the elbow 69.

, A valve 15 which tapers downwardly and fits into fio the mouth 14 controls ow of gasied fuel from the nozzle 13 and this valve is pivoted to one end of a rocker arm 16 which extends longitudinally in a chamber" formed in the upper `portion of `a casing 18. The rocker arm 16 is pivotally mounted by a shaft 19 extending transversely in the chamber 11 and is pivoted to a stem 89 rising from a diaphragm 8| mounted in the lower chamber 82 of the casing. This diaphragm tends to shift the stem 80 upwardly and rock the arm 18 about its pivot to move the valve 15 toward a closed position, but when pressure forces the diaphragm downwardly, pull will be exerted to open the valve. Therefore, flow of gaseous fuel from 'the nozzle 13 will be controlled by pressure appliedto the diaphragm. By adjusting the screw 83 upwardly it may act as a stop to engage the diaphragm and Vcause the valve 15 to remainv open a desired extent when the power plant is operating at a predetermined speed. 'Ihere has also been provided a stem 84 rising from the rocker arm and projecting through the cover 86 so that, when necessary, pressure may be manually applied to the stem 84:to rock the arm 16 about its pivot and move the valve in opening the pipe 35 into the ywell 33 from which it enters the hub of the distributor 38 and flow from the distributor into the pipes 39 during operation of the power plant.

, During the operation of the motor the main supply of air is received from a fan or blower 81 carried by the main shaft 88 from which power is taken in any desired manner. The blower or compressor 81 is provided with an outlet pipe 88| leading to an elbow 89 at the bottom of the l casing 1. A valve housing 90 having arcuate walls is formed at the junction of the elbow 89 with the casing 1 and from this elbow extends a pipe 9| which extends into the chamber 11 and through the partition 92 into the chamber 82 so that air under pressure will be supplied to the chamber 82 and actuate the diaphragm 8|. 'I'he valve housing 90 communicates with the chamber l0 and also with the chamber 26 and in order to control flow of air from the valve housing, there has been provided a gate valve 93 which extends radially of the valve housing and is carried by a stem 94 journaled through walls of the valve housing so that it may bev grasped by its outer end and rotated to move the gate valve. By properly adjusting the gate valve it may be disposed in a position to permit lair to flow into both the chamber lll and the chamber 26 or to cut off direct communication between the valve housing and the chamber i0 and cause all of the air to pass from the valve housing by way of the chamber 26.- The air which enters the chamber 26 passes through openings 95 which are distributed about the marginal portions of the partition` 21 and as the air passes through these openings 95 it will act upon the blades of a turbine disc 96 to rotate this disc and thereby impart rotation to the shaft 91 carrying the turbine. There has also been provided a pipe 98 leading from the neck 5 below a butterfly valve 99 which is mounted in this neck to control flow of air from the pipe 4 into the chamber 9.v This pipe or tube 98 extends into the chamber 2'6 at a point approximately diametrically opposite the valve housing 98 and, therefore, when the power plant is initially started, air from the pipe 4 may flow through the pipe 98 and actuate the turbine disc. vThe shaft 91 is provided with a pinion 91' meshing with a larger gear |90' carriedby a shaft IDI and this shaft also carries-a small pinion |02 meshing with a gear |03 carried by the shaft 32. Therefore, the distributor nozzle and the timer will be .drivenfrom the shaft 91 and as the turbine disc carried by the shaft has motio-n imparted to it by air flowing through the chambers 26 and l0, a metering operation will take place. By this Ais meant that through adjustment of the valve 93 the turbine disc may be caused to rotate at such a rate of speed that the combustion chamber will be properly lled with airv under pressure before the distributing nozzle 38 has reached,

a point at which lit will register with the pipe 39 leading to the cylinder, and the time required for the outlet 38 to pass out of registry with the particular pipe 39 will be such that only a desired quantity o f fuel mixture will be discharged through the nozzle 46 into the combustion chamber. At this point the timer will cause the spark plug of the particular cylinder to be red and explode the combustible mixture in the cylinder. It will thus be seen that flow of airto the cylinders controls operation Vof the distributor disc and timer.

When the combustible mixture in the compartment 41 formed by intermingling of the fuel mixture and air isv exploded the products of combustion are moved through. theopenings 52 by 78 the seat at the inner end of a neck |05 projecting outwardly from the central portion of the head 54 and,l therefore, under this initial high pressure the air moving rearwardly axially of the chamber or compartment 53 will pass through the pipe 51 )While the hot products of combustion will out through' a discharge tube |01 leading fromv the head. 'I'he stem |08 of the valve |04 is slidably mounted axially of the neck |06 through a bearing |09 and at its rear end carries a second valve II0'A which is moved out of closing relation to the outer end of the neck when the valve |04 is closed. Therefore, during the interval that the valve |04 is closed, air which enters the cap III through the open port I I 'l formed centrally thereof may pass into the neck as indicated `by the arrows in Figure l. When pressure in the neck is reduced sufficiently by the products of combustion flowing outwardly through the tube or pipe |01, the spring ||2 will return the valve |I0 to its closed position and the valve |04 will then open and allow the products of combustion to enter the neck about the valve |04. 'Ihe heavy products of combustion which pass through the tube I 01 are directed into the flared outer end ,of an injector I|3 extending through the neck and engaged-in the central'passage I| 4 of a divider |I5 carried by Yand projecting from the neck. Passages II6 are formed longitudinally through the divider so that air and products of combustion entering the neck may flow through these passages and be discharged from the outer end of the divider. It will be understood that when the valve |04 is closed and products of combustion are only passing through the tube |01, only vair will pass throughthe passages I I5, whereas when the valve |04 is open, products of combustion alone will pass through these passages. A ir is drawn inwardly into the upper end of the injector II3 throughv the flared mouth and as-thel outer end portion ofthe divider extends into-the flared end portion of a second injector II1, additional air will be carried in the injector |I1. External channels IIB are formed longitudinally in the divider between ther passages I I6 so that additional air may be drawn into the injector II1. By this arrangement the products of combustion will have additional weight imparted to them so that when they strike the blades of a rotor |I9 carried by the power shaft 03 'and mounted in a housing |20 to which the-injector |I1 leads, rotary motion will be imparted to the turbine to rotate it at'high speed without danger of the turbine being damaged by excessive heat. The heat content remains the same, and due to the difference in the specific heat of the air and the products of combustion, the air entrained vexpands a great deal more thanthe products of combustion contract. so that the total kinetic .energy of the cooler mass remains practically of combustion are discharged through a discharge spout I2|.

When this power plant is in operation, the starter blower or compressor 3 is set in operation by manually shifting the contact I5 and valve rod to the position shown in Figure 1 andrthus close the switch formed bythe contacts I5 and I6 so that the motor 3 will be set in motion to drive the compressor. Air from the fan or blower 3 passes through the pipe 4 and its branch 66 and a portion of this air also passes from the pipe 4 through the branch or tube 93 so that air discharged from the tube 98 will actuate the turbine disc .96 and through the medium of the gearing impart rotary motion to the shaft 32 to rotate the distributor disc or nozzle and also operate the timer. Air from the pipe 4 enters the chamber 9 and from this chamber passes through the conduits I1 to the cylinders I of the starting group. Therefore, the cylinders of this group will be filled with air under pressure. While it is true that air from pipe `4 does not go directly to the combustion chambers I combustion chambers I are presumably filled with atmospheric air at the time of starting, which is sufficient to burn most of the first. charge of fuel. Then the air through the by-pass line 98 that actuates the timer turbine passes into the chamber I. By the time the eight chambers have fired once around, the power turbine is driving the main compressor 01 at a speed sufficient to supply air to the chambers This method of starting is used for the purpose of allowing the main compressor to help passing through the branch 66` and into the casing 10 creates a suction about the nozzle 13 to draw vaporized fuel from the carburetor and a very rich fuel mixture will be formed which passes upwardly through the pipe 35 and into the distributor disc; 'I'his distributor disc is rotating with the shaft 32 and as the fuel mixture is under pressure created by the blower 3, charges of fuel will be successively discharged through the pipes 39 leading to the 'cylinders and 2. The fuel is sprayed outwardly from the tapered nozzle 46 of each of these cylinders and mixed with the air in the rear compartment to form a combustible mixture which is immediately red by the spark plug 3| controlled by the timer 29. The exploding mixture moves forwardly through the openings of the partition 5I into the forward compartment 53, and, as previously explained, is .directed toward the walls of this compartment and then forwardly, as indicated by the dotted lines in Figure 3 until it reaches the forward end of the cylinder where it strikes the 'head 54 and moves toward the valve |04 and a portion of it then moves rearwardly axially of the forward chamber. In the meantime a new charge f of air is entering the rear end of the chamber 41to flll this chamber with' fresh air and drive the burned gases and other productsof combustion forwardly throughv the artmon'. At che initial explosion the valve I 04 is closed and the rearwardly moving air at the center of the forward compartment passes into the pipe 51 and down through thepipe 59 intov the container 6I. The heavy products of combustionv near the periphery of the cylinder pass through the exhaust tube |01 to enter the upper end of the injector II3 through which they pass and draw air into the tube. While the pipe |01 is''always open, 75

-The cylinders of the groups I and 2 wil it is of such small diameter that' it will not interfere with suicient pressure in the cylinders.`

As soon as the products of combustion have been scavenged out and the chamber filled with air, a new charge of fuel is admitted and ignited and the products of combustion, together with the mixture of air discharges through this pipe. During the time the valve |04 is closed, air enters the neck |06 through the outer end thereof and passes 'from the neck in the form of divided streams of air which pass through the passages I|6 of the divider and enter the upper end of the injector III together with the mixed air-and products of combustion discharged from the center passage II4. After the initial force ofthe explosion has been expended the spring I2 closes the valve IIll and opens the valve |04 so that the products of combustion at the forward end of the chamber 53 will pass into the discharge neck about the valve |04 and pass through the passages II6 of the divider. Some of the products of combustion willstill be passing through passage II4 and, therefore, the products of combustion discharged from the neck will be divided into a multiplicity of streams which enter the in- 'jector II'I and cause streams of air to be drawn into this injector I II about the divider with portions of the incoming air traveling throughthe passages or recesses II8 of the divider. By this arrangement the products of combustion will be cooled and added weight imparted to them by the air so that the uid mixture which is -carried through the injector I II and discharged into the housing |20 may act upon the blades of the turbine |I9'to rotate this turbine at high speed without the turbine being damaged by excessive heat. After operating the turbine, the fluid mixture is discharged through the outlet |2I of the turbine housing. 'I'he main power shaft carried by the turbine II9 operates the main blower or compressor B1 and power may be taken from the shaft 88 in any desired manner. In view of the fact that during this starting operation the valve I I is in the closed position to cut oi communication between the chambers 9 and III and the main blower is .not operated until the cylinders I have been "set in operation, air will not be delivredto the cylinders of the group 2 and these cylinders will, for a short period, remain inoperative.

When the main blower or compressor is set in motion, a blast of air is delivered through the plpe`88l into the valve housing 90 and a portion of this air will pass through the tube 9| to enter thechamber 82 and actuate the diaphragm 9| for regulating the outlet valve of the nozzle 13. By properly setting the valve 93, the air from the valve housing 90 may be caused to all enter the chamber 26 for passage through the open-ings 95 of the partition 21 -to drive the turbine disc 96,

enters the chamber I Il. The air which enters the chamber I0 passes through the conduits 2| leading therefrom to the cylinders of the group I and as these cylinders are lled, fuel mixture will bev discharged into them. During this stage of the 'operation the air which has accumulated in the.

container 6| will flow through the pipel 64 to enter -the casing I0 and passA upwardly about the nozzle 'I3 but as the starting blower is still in operation, air will also be delivered through the pipe 66. l thus all be set in operation and increased pressurewill develop in the chamber I0 until suflicient pressure has been built up to move the valve I I away from seating engagement with the annular wall 8 and cause the valve to seat against the seat I4. During this movement of the valve, its stem I2 will be shifted longitudinally to move the contact I 5 away from the contact I6 and the motor operating the starting blower will be' shut off. Therefore, air will no longer be delivered through the pipes 4 and 66 and air. will be sprayedV to the casing 10 solely through the pipe 64. This will be in the form of` hot air and a very rich fuel mixture will be formed. When the valve II has been moved against the valve seat I 4, communication will be established between the compartments 9 and I0 and a portion of the air pass from the chamber I0 into the chamber 9 and through the conduit I1 into the cylinders of the starting group 2. By adjusting the valve 93, the speed of the power plant can be controlled and attention is called to the fact that as the turbine 96 is driven solely by air delivered into the chamber I0, the distributor valve or disc 31 will be moved in proper timed relation to filling of the cylinders 4With air and the fuel mixture thus discharged into the cylinders in metered relation to the air. This arrangement also causes the spark plugs to be red in proper timed relation to charging of the cylinders. When the power plant is shut off, the valve I I remains in engagement with the valve seat I4, but as soon as the starting blower is again set in operation by manually shifting the contact I5 into engagement with the contact I6 to close the circuit of the motor 3', the air passing through the pipe 4 will act against this valve to move it into engagement with the annular Wal1'8 to shut off communication between the chambers 9 and I0.

It will be apparent how a proper fuel mixture is obtained by the apparatus disclosed when it is understood that the port 26 has suilicient area to carry the air from the main compressor .without but would not constitute a sufficient restriction to raise the pressure in the conduit to any appreciable extent. From this it will be understood that the proper proportion of air required to operate the timer and fuel distributor in correct timed relation to filling of the chamber maybe directed through the port 26, the balance being allowed to'passinto the combustion chambers without passing through the distributor turbine. Should both these ports be left wide open, the velocity of air through the ports would be muchA lower than in the conduit.

In Figure 'l there has been shown ya. modified form of cylinder which may be used in place of the cylinder illustrated in Figure 3. This cylinder has front and rear sections' |22 and |23 corresponding to the front and lrear sections 49 and 44 which are held in engagement with each other. by aclamping ring or collar |24 and between the abutting ends of these'sections is secured a. partition |25 having Aits central portion projected forwardly to form a neckl I2! through which the products of combustion pass after the spark plug |21 has been fired. A conicalbaille I2! is mounted in the forward compartment in opposed relation to the neck `|26 to cause 'the burnt gases to be of the cylinder and there has also been provided an outlet tube or pipe |30 corresponding to the pipe Il and having a ared mouth so that under the force'of the initial explosion, air which may or may not have slight quantity of burnt gases mixed withit passes through the pipe |3| corresponding'to the pipe 59 and into the container 6|. 'I'he head |29 which is secured by a clamping ring |32 corresponds in construction to the head Il and as the parts associated with this head are the same as shown in Figure 3, further reference to the same is not necessary.

The section |23 `of` the cylinder tapers rearwardly and at 'its rear end carries a head |33 taking the place of the head 43 and formed with an entrance neck |34. This neck l has an enlarged outer end portion which, together with the coupling llrforms a valve housing in which an inwardly opening check valve |31 is mounted. l

This check valve corresponds to the. valve 23 and will be firmly held in place when the clamping ring or collar III is applied and tightened. In this embodiment of the invention therpipe I1 or Il will be coupled to the collar |39 of the coupling |36. 'I'he pipe I! through which the fuel mixture is delivered will be connected with the coupling I carried by the externally threaded neck Ill of the head |33. This coupling |40 will have mountedtherein a check valve corresponding to the check valve III and a nozzle |42 extends from this coupling through the necky ill into the 4head |33 and rear end portion'of the cylinder.

When this form of cylinder is used in place of the cylinder shown in Figure 3, the operation is the same as previously described.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. In a power plant, a cylinder, a partition viding the-cylinder into front and rear chambers, an aix-.,coinpressor, a conduit leading from said compressor for delivering air under pressure into the rear chamber of said cylinder adjacent the rear end thereof, means for intermittently delivering charges of rich fuel mixture into the rear chamber, the partition being formed with openings so that air `entering the rear chamber may pass through the openings of the partition and illl the forward chamber and when fuel is fired in the rear chamber products of combustion may pass fromv the rear chamber into the front chamber, the openings being formed to impart whirling motion to products of combustion passing into the front chamber, a tank constituting a source of air for the rich fuel mixture, a tube leading from said tank to said cylinder and terminating in an inlet nozzle extending into the front chamber and formed with a laterally extending flared mouth'directed towards the front end of the forward chamber whereby a mixture of air and products of combustion in the forward chamber forced to the center of the chamber and back towards the inner end thereof may pass through the homie and said tube'into said tank, a check valve opening toward thetank being provided in the tube, an outlet for .products of combustion being provided at the front end o f the cylinder, ahousing, means-for conducting the products of com bustion into said housing, means for causing air to mix with the products of combustion as they move toward the housing, and operating means for said compressorin'cluding a turbine disposed within the housing and actuated by the products of combustion together with au'.

2. In a power plant, a cylinder, a partition dividing the cylinder into front and rear chambers, the rear chamber constituting a combustionchamber and the partition being formed with openings establishing communication between the chambers and extendingv diagonally to cause products of combustion to be directed forwardly with a whirling motion, a head forthe forward end of the cylinder projected outwardly for causing air at the forward end ofthe front chamber to be directed toward the center of the head and a portion thereof directed rearwardly axially of the front chamber, a tank, an inlet pipe for said tank extending into the forward chamber radially thereof and terminating in a mouth directed forwardly of the front chamber centrally thereof whereby fiuid passingv rearwardly axially of the Y `front chamber may pass through the pipe into said tank, an air compressor, a conduit for delivering air from said compressor into the rear chamber adjacent the rear end thereof, means for delivering charges of rich fuel mixture into the rear chamber centrally thereof to mix with the air and form a combustible mixture in thel chamber to be red, a neck extending from the front head of the chamber and having an outlet for products of combustion, a discharge pipe formed with a housing having an injector ex- -tending therefrom and terminating in a flared mouth disposed about the discharge outlet, and operating means for the air compressor including a turbine in the housing having its blades disposed to moveacross the inner end of the injector.

3. In a power plant, a cylinder, a partition dividing the cylinder into front and rear chambers and formed with openings establishing communication between the chambers and extending diagonally through the partition whereby products of combustion entering the front chamber will move forwardly with a whirling motion, a head for the forward end of the cylinder concaved andv having an outwardly extending neck at its center open at its inner and outer ends, a fluid tank,

valve at the outer end of said stem, resilient means for yieldably holding lthe outer valve closed with the inner valve open, the neck being formed with an outlet for discharging gases, a. nozzle leading from said outletand formed with a center passage and other passages spaced radially therefrom, an

injector extending diametrically-through the neck with one en d communicating with the center passage of thernozzle and its other end portion projecting outwardly from the neck, a discharge tube leading from the front head in radial spaced relation to the valve and communicating with the' outer end of the injector, an exhaust pipe formed with a housing having 'an injector leading therefrom and disposed about the outer end of said nozzle, and operating means for the compressor including a turbine mounted in the housing.

4. In a power plant, a cylinder having front` and rear sections, a partition plate secured between adjoining ends of the cylinder sections a'nd and terminating in a laterally extending ared mouth directed towards the forward end of the front chamber, a head for the forward end of the front chamber formed with a centrally disposed exhaust neck for products of combustion, the forward head having a'concaved inner face for directing a portion of the gaseous iiuid in the front chamber rearwardly therein for passage through the pipe into said tank, a discharge tube extending from the' front head and spaced from the neck radially of the head, a turbine driven by fluid passing from said neck, and a valve for controlling ilow of products of combustion through the neck yieldably held open and movable outwardly of the front chamber to a closed position and adapted to be `temporarily closed by initial high' pressures within the front chamber during rearward movement of gaseous uid in the front chamber.

5. In a power plant, a cylinder having front and rear sections disposed in axial allnement with their inner ends confronting each other, a plate l secured between inner ends of the cylinder sections and formed with a neck extending forwardly in the front section 'for establishing communication between front and rear chambers defined by the cylinder sections, ahead for the rear end of the' rear section having a radially extending air inlet and a centrally located fuel inlet, a nozzle extending from the fuel inlet longitudinally of the rear chamber, a head for the forward end of the front section having a neck extending forwardly therefrom and constituting an outlet for :exhaust gases,- the forward head having a concaved 'inner face for directing a portion of the gaseous fluid in the front chamber rearwardly therein, an outwardly closing valve for the inner end of the neck yieldably held open and adapted to be closed by pressure within the front chamber, an exhaust tube extending from the front head and spaced from said neck radially of the head, an outlet pipe for permitting restricted escape of fluid from the front chamber while the valve is closed, a storage tank, an outlet pipe for conducting fluid under pressure to said stgrage tank extending into the front chamber; radially thereof through walls of the front cylinder sectionl adjacent'the rear end of the front chamber and terminating in a mouth directed forwardly of the chamber whereby uid moving rearwardly in the front chamber while the valve is closed may pass through-'the outlet pipe to said storage tank, a

conical baille mounted in the front. chamber in opposed relation to the neckfof said plate and spaced forwardly from the neck and tapered toward the front end of the front chamber with its forward end spaced from the front head of A,

chamber and an exhaust chamber, said partition having openings establishing communication between the chambers, means for supplyingl a combustible mixture to the combustion chamber, means for firing the combustible mixture, the

'openings in the partition being formed diagonally for causing products of combustion entering' the exhaust chamber at the inner end thereof to strike walls of the chamber and converge as they rebound from ythe walls and move longitudinally of the chamber and then diverge toward the outer end thereof, the outer end of the exhaust chamber having a. concaved inner face for causing a portion of the productsA of combustion to return toward the inner end of the exhaust chamber axially thereof, an outlet pipe for conducting fluid under pressure to a place for use extending into the' exhaust chamber with its inner end extending forwardly to receive the axially moving fluid, and

from the exhaust chamber through the exhaust port thereof. 7. In a power plant, a cylinder having heads at its ends, a transverse partition dividing the cyl- 'partition vwith its inner end terminating in a .mb'uth facing thevouter end of the chamber, the

openings being formed diagonally through the partition whereby products of combustion will be directed against walls of the exhaust chamber and then rebound and move longitudinally in the chamber along diagonal paths intersecting interlmediate the length of the chamber and then diverging toward the outer end of the chamber, the head at the outer end o'f the exhaust chamber being concaved and serving to direct the products of combustion toward the exhaust outlet at the. center of the head and a portion of the products of combustion pass axially of the chamber toward the in er end thereof for mixing with air inthe exhaus chamber and passing through a turbine driven by iluid under pressure passing the draw-off pipe, and a turbine adapted to be x driven by uid passing from the exhaust chamber through the exhaust outlet. a

8. In a power plant, a cylinder divided intermediate its length to form a combustin chamber and an exhaust chamber -communicating with the combustion chamber whereby products of combustion may enter the exhaust chamber from the combustion chamber, a head at theouter end of the exhaust chamber Abeing provided with an exhaust outlet, the head having. its inner face concaved whereby products of.combustion moving towards the outer end of the exhaust chamber and striking the head will be directed toward the exhaust outlet and a po on ofthe products of combustion caused to mo e longitudinally of the chamber toward the inner end thereof, a storage chamber, an outlet pipe for conducting fluid under pressure to said storage chamber extending into the exhaust chamber with its inner end disposed towards the outer end thereof to receive thev 4mixture of air and products of combustion moving toward the inner end of the exhaust chamber, and

'a turbine driven by under pressure .from the exhaust outlet.

. RDBERT E. LABLEY. 

